Hello Hello!
Another week has FLOWN by! Where to start? How about with the apostle of God. That's right people, yesterday I shook Elder Dallin H. Oaks hand twice! Ah! You can rest assured I will never wash my right hand again (just kidding). Seriously though, wow. I can't even describe to you the feelings I felt yesterday. Talk about a spiritual high! First of all, we got to go to stake conference in the morning and listen to him speak. I've never seen so many people in a room in my life.
Then we headed to our mission meeting with him. Our whole entire mission met together-- that never happens! It was so cool! I got to see my district buddies from the good old MTC (Sister Ellis yay!!). We took a group picture of our whole mission so you'll have to go to the Ohio Cincinnati Mission Facebook page and check it out. We also took one with Elder Oaks! Here's something exciting-- we were all in line, filing into the gym to take the picture, and waiting for him to get there. Sis P and I were standing right next to the doors and suddenly everyone is bustling around is opening the doors and shushing the missionaries. So, I look out the window (and what do I see? haha:) and here comes Elder Oaks walking around the car. The second I saw him I had the strongest feeling come over me. The Spirit confirmed to me in that second that he is an apostle of God and that because of that this is the true church restored to the Earth. It was amazing. He walked in and actually got to talk to Sister P and I for a minute while the picture was still being set up! He told us to "do what we can" He said don't carry around guilt just do what you can! Then we all got to shake his hand and I was just smiling and smiling and couldn't even think of any words. I take that back, I think I said "Rolfe" because he asked the girl in front of me what here name was haha. What I can tell you about our meeting with him is that the Spirit was seriously so thick you could cut it with a knife. He explained things so simply yet so powerfully. At the end he told us
"I was going to end on time but I had more to say!" None of us were complaining about that. Then our whole mission sang the Army of Helaman song and the Spirit grew ten times if that was even possible. Of course by this point the tears are flowing and I'm just smiling and crying and never wanting to leave. I have always loved singing that song but I can't even describe what it's like singing it as a missionary, surrounded by missionaries. Wow. It hit me especially hard yesterday because so many of our investigators right now are young girls who have no self respect of self worth and it is so so sad. It breaks my heart to see how these girls let themselves be treated and they seriously don't even know there are guys out there who actually know how to treat women respectfully. They laugh at us when we tell them that! So hearing all of the Elders singing the Army of Helaman and thinking about all the men (Dad) that I grew up around and always having the priesthood in my life made me so grateful and so humbled. Thank you Dad and all you other priesthood holders in my life! You are literally one in a million.
Okay, time for my random tidbits.
We visited an elderly lady in our ward this week who lives up in the hills and has a ton of WW2 trucks, airplanes, bunkers, etc (I'll send pictures). Anyway, she is so sweet and I just love her but she's a little crazy! Haha. She wanted to introduce us to her cat so we go and see him and she tells us "He's Mormon too!! He doesn't drink or smoke!" Hahaha :)
Remember the lady we talked to who prayed for our salvation in the street and begged us to stop proselyting but ended up taking a Book of Mormon? We went back and visited her and her heart had been completely softened! It was amazing. She went from begging us to stop to telling us how proud she was of us for serving missions. We watched the restoration movie with her and the spirit was so strong. Her husband (who was worse than she was) even came out and said "Yep, these girls have got that
Jesus glow!" Haha. I'll keep you updated on her! She's reading the Book of Mormon right now! :)
Mom, you said that someone asked how we get people to church. Here's our big secret-- Families! We really try to find families because, well, the Plan of Salvation is a family plan! And they have an automatic support system. It's wonderful.
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